Everything seems to be coming to an end.
The Marvel movie series is about to conclude with Avengers 4 (in theaters 39 days from today), the snow is melting and the floods are raging, and for all students/teachers/professors, the school year is much closer to done than we may think it is.
While endings can be both very exciting and also scary, the endings ahead of my own life kinda feel like cliffhangers.
Cliffhangers......where the ending either is a good one or a bad one, but all you're left with is suspense and big-time stress.
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And for God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Getting right down to business, I often wonder why God has made it easy for me.
Why is it that if He had a plan for everyone that those who have lost their homes and belongings because of the floods in Nebraska, or those who lost their loved ones in New Zealand had to experience that and I didn't.
I even broke down crying in my dorm room today as I thought back to my experiences on my service trip earlier this month, seeing those who have way less than I have.
3 hours prior to my emotional outburst, I was sitting on a bench outside of a Jimmy John’s waiting for about 20 minutes to be picked up by my parents so we could go out for brunch.
During that time, I put my phone away, pulled up my hood, and began to see how many people would pull up next to me and ignore me.
While I didn’t care about being ignored, I started to remember a guy from a fast food place we ate at who was sitting alone in a booth behind us. He seemed to have nothing but the dirty clothes on him and 2 grocery bags with other clothes and belongings. Each and every time a person would pass him, they would treat him as if he didn't exist.
1 hour before my waterworks, I was sitting in a suit and tie being awarded for doing great things in my college community.
I was getting my picture taken and being thrown on a pedestal for something I felt like I didn’t deserve, or something that could've been given to anybody else, but it was given to me. I knew I had done great things, but I had no idea why God gave me the award, created me the way that He did, and how I was the one who was supposed to change the world but with zero idea as to how I was going to do it.
What am I going to do with my major, what job will I have after graduating, and what is it that I'm working so hard for?
Why me, God? I can't live up to these far-fetched expectations that you've placed in my future!
When God pushes us to do what we see as impossible or way past where we think we can go, it’s because He knows we can.
God could have chosen someone from New Zealand to begin slowly changing His world, but He chose me to keep walking as one of His earthly disciples; spreading His love and message in the craziest, most unexpected ways.
And trust me: I am 100% sure I'm not the only one God has BIG plans for.
God has given everyone gifts. And whether you’ve discovered those gifts yet or not, you’ll eventually have to leave your school or comfort zone to go out and thrive!
All you'll have is what God's given you now and what God is planning on giving you later.
I know for me being a senior in high school last year and becoming a freshman in college this year has been much more difficult than I anticipated it would’ve been. And I can’t imagine what it must feel like for all of the seniors out there who are about to take an even bigger step into "The REAL World!"
One thing that I have found is that the times when I see God is giving me blessings and rewards is when I take time to listen and be obedient to what He has asked me to do, both through Scripture and through prayer.
1 Corinthians 14:33a says that “God is not a God of confusion, but a God of peace.”
So why don't you ask God this week what He wants you to do with the life you’re given.
He chose YOU to keep going, meaning He’s not finished with you quite yet.
While we may find ourselves on our own cliffhangers in life, we must be patient and listen, because it is when God pushes us to our max that we must hold on to our faith just as strong as we’re being challenged.
Questions to toss-up to God:
1. How can I listen better?
2. How can I act on what I’ve been called to do?
3. Who can I inspire this week?
Pray…….that God would give you strength to keep holding on when it’s easier to let go than it is to push further, knowing that He will continue to give you peace through the cliffhangers you encounter.
With that said,
Live, love, and be loved.
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